The Internet permits rapid transmission of electronic documents to any computer that is coupled to the Internet system. Search engines allow a plurality of individual computer users to identify and access a large number of databases and electronic libraries. Such uncomplicated access to documents allows for exact duplication of the documents in an instantaneous manner.
In many instances it may be desirable to determine whether a document is an original document or, perhaps, where more than one copy of the document is printed, to determine which printed copy one has in-hand, i.e., whether it is a first printed copy, a second printed copy, etc. A variety of techniques have been used to identify an original document. In some cases, the line pitch or distance between certain lines in a document is altered slightly. However, this technique suffers from the limitation that, when a particular space is left between lines of the printed text of a form, the space for inserting information limits the amount of information that may be inserted.
Another way of discerning that a document is not the original is comparing the justification, typically a left justification, of the lines with the known justification for the printer from which the document is supposed to have originated. Clearly, the font may be compared also.
However, there is a need for a highly reliable method, printer and system for verifying that a document is an original printed document.